Connacht run amok in clipping wings of a ‘no-show’ Ospreys

Connacht 46

Ospreys 5

THE scoreline doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in the context of the history of this fixture. The Ospreys have always been a difficult foe – one of the better resourced Welsh region with a consistent presence among the top six in the league. Connacht had won just one of the previous five meetings and had a total of a mere nine hard fought wins out of the 31 games between the sides since the league began. So you can see why Saturday’s game felt so strange.

In short, Connacht ran riot here scoring six tries, securing a bonus point before half time and making light work of one of their supposed rivals for a top three finish in the conference. The tense thriller we had expected never materialised and on a day when injuries and Ireland call ups had forced Andy Friend to experiment at out half, his team produced their most complete display of the season utilising the favourable wind in the first half and putting the game beyond sight.

Kyle Godwin led the way, the summer signing from Australia had been earmarked for a position in the centre or the wing when he was signed, but here he was in the number ten jersey. His powerful left boot, mixed array of skills and sharp acceleration had made him the outside-the-box thinkers’ choice to cover the role and he produced a stunning overall performance setting up tries, kicking penalties and managing the game superbly well.

There were other highlights for sure, Kieran Marmion had two tries on his second start since returning from injury and his all round game will have left Joe Schmidt in no doubt that he is now ready if needed for the forthcoming games with France and Wales in the Six Nations. The other star performer was Peter Robb. The 24-year-old was making just his first start since last April and underlined why Connacht now have a lot more options in the backline than at any point in recent seasons.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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